There's A Wolf In My Heart REWRITE
by ScratchingsOnTheWall
Summary: REWRITTEN ;; Time travel fic, featuring all the main characters of the FF7 series. Cloud is sent back in time to his cadet years in an alternate reality when his old world is destroyed. Torn between the friend he wished he could protect, and the man who took his everything, Cloud must battle to save the planet where he had once failed. [Warnings - Yaoi, Angst, Time/Dimension shift]
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note ;; Hello everyone! It's been quite a while, has it not? Since I am studying at university now, I've had little to no time to myself. However I am determined to continue this story. I'd like to thank all of my devoted fans and followers for their continued support, and especially thank StrawberryHollow, Jollybigsis, and Zetran for requesting I continue the story. Not a lot will be changed in the rewrite storywise, but my writing style has differed and so I hope to make the currently posted chapters a lot more fantastic and unique. Again, I am ever grateful for your continued support. Thank you. -Nightfall_

Plot Summary - After the world is destroyed by Jenova and her infected, Cloud Strife is given a second chance. Sent back into a world he once believed he knew, only to find things were never as they seemed. Having lost everything, will Cloud be able to truly save everyone, or will he fall to the darkness once more?

Pairings - Sephiroth x Cloud (main) Zack x Cloud, Angeal x Genesis

Warnings - **YAOI**, Violence, Language, Angst, Death, **Time/Dimensional** twists.

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

For nearly ten years, the world and people of Gaia coexisted in a near complete harmony, a living, breathing peace treaty between man and planet established after the fall of the primordial being Jenova, who had sought to destroy the planet itself through corrupting the lifestream, and the souls of those who dwelled within it. Through her chosen son, the beautiful, iridescent monster Sephiroth, Jenova attempted to destroy humanity entirely, to take the lifestream for herself. But with the combined powers of one Cloud Strife, a Jenova clone himself, along with those who followed him in battle time and time again, the murderous archangel, and his archaic alien 'mother', were brought to their knees and defeated, despite how many times each tried to rise up again. And in their efforts, the champions of Gaia were rewarded. With the planet's life forces slowly restoring, those who had stood against Jenova could return to their own lives, heading back to their homes and families who had waited restlessly for them. Some became leaders in their own right, while others simply went back to their previous lives before the Jenova crisis.

For nearly ten years, the world and people of Gaia coexisted in a near complete harmony, a living, breathing peace treaty between man and planet established after the fall of the primordial being Jenova, who had sought to destroy the planet itself through corrupting the lifestream, and the souls of those who dwelled within it. Through her chosen son, the beautiful, iridescent monster Sephiroth, Jenova attempted to destroy humanity entirely, to take the lifestream for herself. But with the combined powers of one Cloud Strife, a Jenova clone himself, along with those who followed him in battle time and time again, the murderous archangel, and his archaic alien 'mother', were brought to their knees and defeated, despite how many times each tried to rise up again. And in their efforts, the champions of Gaia were rewarded. With the planet's life forces slowly restoring, those who had stood against Jenova could return to their own lives, heading back to their homes and families who had waited restlessly for them. Some became leaders in their own right, while others simply went back to their previous lives before the Jenova crisis.

But not even their leader, the sombre blonde who had once believed himself to be one of ShinRa's mighty SOLDIERS, only to later become the greatest fighter the planet had ever seen, could prepare them for what was to unfold.

Because despite their efforts to defeat her, Jenova would not die.

As long as her cells still existed upon Gaia, Jenova could never fully be eliminated from existence. Akin to that of a cancerous tumour, Jenova would cling on till the very end, until all traces of her poisonous essence were cut away, removed from the very core. After nearly ten years of silence, she rose up again, turning her DNA against the one who still unwillingly retained her cells, the very one who had given his entire being to fighting against her.

Cloud. The one who had spent so long fighting tirelessly to protect his homeland, who had lost nearly everything, now became the catalyst which brought about the great virus itself. Through him, Jenova infected the world once more, only this time, she turned her sights from the lifestream, to the inhabitants of Gaia themselves, infecting them with her hateful disease. A new breed of the Geostigma disease, the tainted lifestream flowed through the planet's creations, undetected by nearly all until it was too late. Those infected with the virus retained no humanity, at first developing sociopath like states, then slowly, their very beings contorted into twisted, hideous monsters. In less than ten short years, the entire population of mankind became infected. That was, all with the exception of the planet's champions. Yet despite their best efforts to defend themselves and their families, Jenova's children could not be defeated. In one last, final stand, the champions readied their weapons to fight for their lives, surrounded by millions. And one by one, they fell, their blood staining the lands they cherished, until only two still held their ground, their fallen comrades scattered before them.

With agonizing breaths, Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart stood at the edge of the lifestream itself, weakened to the core from months of endless battle, their friends and families gone. Yet neither of the two childhood friends would fall to their knees and beg. They would stand and fight, even at the end, till their wasting bodies could go on no longer. Even as the world collapsed around them, illusion and reality colliding to become one, Cloud would keep his promise to the girl who held his heart. A promise he had made to her when they were no more than children, sat beneath the night skies of Nibelheim. A promise he would forever keep, even after death. His flesh torn into, his body beaten and broken, he still clung onto that legendary buster sword of which he had been given from the closest friend he had ever had, the one who had given his life to protect him from the world itself. Cloud simply grit his teeth down at the pain, mako infused eyes blazing, a yell of defiance echoing from his lungs as he threw himself forward into battle for one last time.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

A thin trail of glistening sapphire broke through the temporary darkness, cracked lips parting to take in the bitter sweet air around his fallen body. He struggled to lift himself, fingers still tightly clenched around the handle of his weapon, the buster sword his dearest friend, and the man he had looked up to above all others, had given him with his dying breaths. No, Cloud would not repeat that scene. Not if the entire universe fought against him. His ears ached, ringing over and over with a dulled rhythm, the repeated, distant cries of 'Cloud, get up!' piercing his conscience, keeping the blonde from losing himself to the muse of which reality so dwindled upon. It was as though he was on the very edge of losing his mind to insanity itself, the warm, crimson tide seeping from his wounded ribcage, a darkened bruise having developed across his skin at the banks of that horrific wound of which he had lost nearly all of his strength trying to subside. Now a pale comparison of his old fighting self, Cloud Strife retained his willpower to drag his aching body upward, staggering to the side but for a moment before raising his sword, defiance glistening in those seemingly ancient blue eyes.

In the distance he watched his childhood companion thrust a single fist upward into the lower jaw of an infected, shattering bone and bringing the eight foot monster crashing down, yet Tifa was also weakened. They were not the young warriors they had once been, fighting against the very world side by side; they were old, weak, and so painfully tired. Yet the brunette retained her ever confident demeanour, even till the end, sending Cloud a soft smile through her bruised features, to which he responded simply with one nod, his upper lip held stiff despite his nerves sending jolts throughout his body to try and regain full control of his muscles. The monsters drew closer to him, blocking his view of the woman and redirecting his attentions to the armies before him.

Swinging the buster sword up through the concrete, creating a blaze of sparks and bright blue power, the man's strike emanated enough power to send around ten of the monsters back, their bodies falling apart in a grotesque display of scarlet rivers and heavy, blackened tissue. Around them the lifestream poured out from the planet's core into the dark abyss above, the planet crying out to it's surviving champions, begging to be cured of the infection coursing through her very veins. Two hundred and fifty pounds of pure metal collided with each opponent, buster sword slicing across the air as an extension of the swordsman's arm, until Cloud's golden locks became drenched, his worn face thickly glossed over with the sickly sheen of bright green, Jenova infected blood. But no matter how many monsters he defeated through using his mastered materia and iconic weapon, the armies of Jenova just kept coming, the entire populace of humanity having fallen to her genocide. Narrowly avoiding a clawed hand raking through the air, aimed for his face, Cloud twisted to the side and stabbed upward, cutting through the throat of what once was a human alike him, a person whom he had tried to protect, who he had failed, along with countless others. Blood running down his body alike that of a mako shower, the blonde turned his obstinate gaze to the next opponent, only to find the monsters withdrawing, circling at a distance, their sights now turned to the brunette who Cloud cherished with every waking moment.

Slumped to the side, struggling to keep her fists raised, Tifa visibly grimaced at the newly received wound dangerously close to her throat, her ragged breaths mixing with the hideous, inhuman hissing escaping the razor lined jaws all around her. Teeth and tongues in every inch she looked, drowning her sight, it was only the flash of gold rushing before her to hack open a pathway before them, albeit for a short moment, that brought the brunette back to her senses. Cloud pulled her up to her feet, shaking her in an attempt to clear her blurred vision, yet Tifa simply fell into his arms, Cloud dropping his weapon to support her.

"Tifa! Stay with me! Tifa!" clinging onto the now limp woman, Cloud slowly lowered her to the ground, getting onto a knee to support her, caring not that the infected still circled them, drawing closer. One dared to rush forward, leaping over them with the intent to tear into the two surviving humans. With an outraged yell Cloud swung his right arm to the side, a blaze of fire erupting from the mastered fire materia, scorching through enemy flesh. He whipped his head back round to gaze down at Tifa with watering eyes, desperately shaking her.

"Cloud…" her eyes parted slightly, that ever present smile making it's way across her fast becoming cold lips, "I can't…go on…"

"No!" hearing another whispering hiss dangerously close, Cloud cast barrier around them, holding the shield unsteadily while trying to revive Tifa. His last potion, what could have been the last potion in the world, for the amount they had gone through during this war, he had given to Nanaki, who himself had fallen to the monsters shortly after his clan, in a similar fashion to that of his legendary father Seto. Cloud had bitterly forced the memories of his friends' deaths to the recesses of his mind, desperately clinging onto the hope that at the end of the war, he could bring them back, but after losing each of his close friends, Denzel, Marlene, Reeve, Vincent, Yuffie, Barret, Cid, Nanaki…

And now, Tifa.

No. He could not lose her. He couldn't be alone. Not again, not after Zack… Cloud shook her again, "We'll get through this, I… I wont let you die, Tifa!" a tear trailed down his cheek, breaking his resolve which he had fought so desperately to retain, his solemn mask now cracking at the edges, shattering completely at the sight of his closest remaining ally motionless in his arms, "Tifa!"

"Cloud…" closing her eyelids, her heartbeat echoed through their ears, the shadowed creatures still circled them, alike wolves awaiting the inevitable death of an injured stag. With weakened breaths, Tifa tried to reply to him, to settle his nerves, to give him hope, "I…prayed to the planet…" she coughed slightly, Cloud brushing a lock of hair from her eyes, staring down at her with a sickening realisation, "to save…you…"

"No…No! Tifa, you'll be ok! Just hang in there! You'll… we'll get through this!" the shield around them wavered again, letting out a strained moan, the lifestream still streaming out into the celestials above them, escaping the planet while it still could, Jenova's taint pouring down upon them. The skies were literally raining fire.

Suddenly the woman in his arms jolted, coughing loudly, parting her lips to expel thick, blackened blood from her insides. Clenching her fingers down into Cloud's arm slightly, the blonde's mako infused eyes widened at the sight of Tifa's skin fast becoming pale, her softened stare rippling with a strange, bright green glow, her ink black pupils sharpening into feline like slits. Cloud became motionless himself as she began to twist in his arms, coughing louder, releasing a loud snarl, then a cry of pain, turning her head away from him.

"Don't… look at me… Cloud…"

"Tifa…" tears openly pouring down his battered face, Cloud pulled the infected woman into his arms, holding onto her with shaking arms. Physical pain was nothing compared to this, to witnessing the change from human…into monster.

The infection at first had been somatic, contaminating the people through the water supply beneath the mountains, which came into direct contact with the tainted lifestream itself. Around a third of the human population was brought down by this, this population consisting of those far from the metropolis city of Edge, mainly consisting of the inhabitants of Wutai. The first signs of the virus were near impossible to detect - narrowed pupils, paled skin, a slight tinge of green within each iris. Most did not even notice this change in their physiques, and even when the vomiting, nausea and restlessness took hold, the ignorance of humanity still prevailed. Struck down by night terrors, reality and fantasy soon became one. Stories of men killing their families, losing their minds to insane fits, entire villages burning to the ground as the result of petty squabbles, soon reached the ears of those in the middle continent. While most dismissed these as simple scare mongering rumours, Cloud and the others knew. Travelling to the Ancient City, they called out to the lifestream, asking for her guidance, yet were met with a stricken silence.

However, despite so many being infected, it was not until the virus became air born that the rest of humanity fell. Three years after the rumours from Wutai and the Northern continent began, the borders were closed by the government, travelling across continents becoming prohibited. Soon daily checks were a routine, with every individual in Edge having to attend scans. These took place out on the streets themselves, and while it seemed the virus was not present in the city, it had already began to infect all of them. Having evolved into an even deadlier strain, one that human machinery could not detect, only those who had been in contact with the untainted lifestream previous to the virus outbreak were immune to the air born strain. Cloud, Tifa, and their comrades, champions of the lifestream, having fought against Sephiroth in Northern Crater, became the only creatures who survived the second outbreak.

Yet even with this, the longer the companions were in contact with the tainted lifestream, the closer they came to becoming infected themselves. The first to fall had been Denzel, a teenager at the time, he had given his life to give Tifa the time to save Marlene and an unconscious Reeve from the burning Seventh Heaven. Edge had become overrun by the hoards, the slightest sound made becoming a call for the infected to hunt them down, driven by a seemingly endless hunger. A single drop of cutlery onto the floor by Marlene had awoken the hoard, the horizon drowned out by the sound of wailing, screeching, hissing. As Tifa and Marlene struggled to take Reeve's limp body out through a hidden exit below, Denzel had grabbed onto a sword to fight, determined to prove himself worthy to the blonde leader of who he admired above all others. The bar fast became overrun, yet the teenager had fought them back, only drawing away to escape himself when he was sure the others were safe. But in this heroic act, a single bite was inflicted upon his human body, sealing his fate. Denzel had seemed fine for a few hours, even laughing off his psychical pain for a while, however, it soon became clear Denzel no longer existed as a human being, his hair shifting to a bright silver, body contorting into that of a monster. Cloud had been the one to end his suffering, leaving Tifa and the others to mourn in silence in the abandoned ShinRa complex, fearing for the lives of their friends and families. Vincent had taken Cloud aside and warned him that even they could not win this, not with the entire world against them. Yet Cloud had refused to back down, to retreat. He could not let the world fall, he would not run. He would take on the armies of Jenova, even if he had to do it himself.

For nearly five years they had fought. Each of them falling, one by one, until it came to this final battle. Yet Cloud Strife still could not give up fighting. When once he had been tired, refusing to battle unless he had no other way, now he could not stop. He could never stop. Jenova had taken everything he had fought for, turning the human civilisation into her infected armies. Every moment of his life was now spent defending others, protecting himself, blood meeting steel in an useless tourniquet. He could not, would not stop fighting. Not until the world was safe once more.

_You couldn't save them._

Seeming to ignore his cries, Tifa simply tried to pull her lips into another weakened smile, ignoring the trail of black liquid running down the corner of her mouth, dripping down onto the concrete beneath them. Raising a hand to Cloud's cheek, her eyes still retained their characteristic softness, understanding the dilemma the blonde she loved so dearly was going through.

_You can't even save yourself._

"Cloud…it's time…to stop fighting…" watching as his stare contorted into one of confusion and disbelief, she moved her other hand to the pommel of his blade, which he had began to reach out for and clung to.

"Tifa…" he shook his head, sapphire irises swelled to the brim with salted water, openly trailing tears down his cheeks, "I… I couldn't save you…I…"

"Cloud, no one…could have…stopped this…" she coughed harder this time, clenching her teeth to try and alleviate the agonising twisting of her muscles, the infection spreading closer to her heart, "you…have to run…"

"No…I wont leave you!" his hand reached out to the freezing palm against his cheek and held it dearly, shaking his head, the barrier around them beginning to fade. The infected started their approach towards the two sole surviving humans once more, claws clattering heavily upon the concrete of the decimated road.

"You…have…too. Please, Cloud…" Tifa reached her hand away from his buster sword, stopping by the ribbon on her arm. She untied the thin pink material and held it out to him with wavering movements, the last of her strength leaving her, "I will…always love you…" her eyes now shut completely, bruised, bloodied lips parted to take in one last gasp of air, "live…for me…"

Cloud stared down at the limp brunette in his arms. Boiling tears pouring from his sapphire eyes, he shook her, whispering her name, begging her to get up, to say something, not to leave him. Clenching his teeth down into his lower lip, drawing bloody almost instantly, he threw his head back, letting out a scream. The monsters took this moment to rush forward, swarming the fallen pair, blocking out the glistening green light from the lifestream above in their shadows. As they disappeared beneath the writhing bodies, claws and teeth tearing into flesh, the lifestream released another waning moan, turning abruptly and rushing down, pouring it's essence across the infected, drowning them in it's spiritual light, the planet slowly beginning to crack away into fragments and collapse within the blackened abyss.

Jenova had won.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

A low hum echoed through the blaze of greens before him as the blonde lifted his head, sapphire eyes adjusting to the sudden change in light. The atmosphere, which had once been that of the desolate ruins of Edge, overflowing with the infected he had fought so tirelessly against, was now of an ocean of shimmering greens. Green in every glorious shade, in every angle of sight. An endless, blinding green. Ripples gliding from his sides, cast from the vibration given off by his weakly beating heart, disappeared into the emerald stream. When he lowered his head once more, a soft silence swept over him. His eyes threatened to close, the waters drenching his clothes. Cloud lifted a single hand, staring at his gloved fingers, recognising the outfit instantly. His cadet uniform… why was he wearing this? Was this some sort of heaven? Was he… truly dead? Could he… finally rest? Eyelids shimmering closer to one another, eyelashes blurring his vision, it was only when the ear wrenching scream tore through his senses that the young man finally shot up.

The lifestream released another agonizing cry, the disease spreading through its very essence, destroying the last of the planet's purity. Cloud pulled himself to his feet unsteadily, finding he no longer held the buster sword within his gloved grip. Instead, first tsuragi was buried deep into his hands, as though his fingers had melted with the halt of the fusion blade. His trusted weapon, once worn with the acidic blood of infected, now retained its original stunning sheen, showing little to no signs of ever being used. Frowning heavily, the confusion obvious across his features, the man turned his sapphire gaze to examine the green landscape. He was met with nothing but an endless green once more, tinged with darkness beneath his shadow as the Jenova cells within him took flight into the liquid below, abandoning his body as though he were some sort of diseased remnant no longer required for her purposes. With the loss of the dreaded infection, Cloud found he no longer weighed what he once was; his entire structure felt as though he had lost ten years of age and battle. The acid burns which once glazed his features now faded from his skin akin to ashes taking to the sky, leaving his body without imperfection.

Making his way forward, Cloud Strife let his feet guide him through the lifestream, light ripples following in his wake. The screams grew louder no matter which route he took, his entire body shaking when the tormented resonance tore through his entire being. He had began to realise in the hours it felt that he had walked that his body had changed to a much younger form of himself, around that of his twenty two year old self. For whatever reason, the longer he spent in the lifestream, the more replenished his youth became, and it had no intentions of stopping just yet. The wounds on his body had healed completely, the scars erased from existence other than the thin white trail carved over his left breast from Sephiroth's sword all those years ago. Dark liquid ran from the cuts and trailed down his uniform until hitting the celestial liquid, before burning away alike flesh coming into contact with concentrated acid. Jenova was conquering the lifestream, infected it with her taint; and she was using him to do it.

Lifting the fabric from his side to examine where the large gouge had torn completely through his flesh, the blonde found nothing more than another thin white trail which had also began to disappear. He could barely suppress the sigh which threatened to escape his near parted lips. He didn't understand. If this was death, why was the lifestream taking the time to heal his mortal body? Why had it restored his body to a now late teenage self, and placed him in his near ancient cadet clothing? It was doing all this to his small structure, yet fought Jenova's taint which was partly Cloud's fault for bringing more of the cells into the heart of the lifestream itself. Slumping the sword over his shoulder into the single leather strap upon his back, Cloud found that he was no longer drowned in an ocean of green, a strange darkness beginning to form in the distance. Unsure whether to be grateful that the sight was something other than endless green, Cloud pushed his doubts to the side, though did not lose caution - stopping when he noticed the lifestream begin to visibly tremble before him. That was when it hit him. The pungent taste of disease and death poured into his nostrils, forcing him to shift back, falling slightly to the side and covering his mouth with a gloved hand, eyes peering through the sudden shadows ensnaring him. Gasping for air beneath a layer of fabric and stench, the tainted mako which had once been a large percentage of his body mass had now been replaced with something much, much more powerful. The storm grew heavier, threatening to cast him into the skies if he did not take action fast. Landing on one knee, he quickly drew and dug first tsuragi into the terrain before him, holding on as a cyclone of bright green burst through the darkness. His body glistened with the bright green aura as the gas like substance sunk into his pale skin, disappearing completely into his body. Eyebrows narrowed and head filled with questions, the blonde teenager stood once more, withdrawing his sword from the ground, but not sheathing the weapon, instead keeping it held tightly within his grip. Quickly removing a glove, he examined the palm of his left hand, watching as the green completely faded into his skin.

"What the…?" turning his hand over to the side again and again, expecting the gas to reappear and leave his body, Cloud parted his lips to speak again - when a sudden, very human like yell ruptured through the storm.

Lifting his head to the black blur moving in and out of the dark mist before him, Cloud immediately caught on to the distinct glistening of metal slicing through the shadows as though it were merely water before colliding with something much thicker. Narrowing his mako infused eyes to try and make out the shifting body around twenty metres from where he stood, another strangely familiar battle cry pierced the air. Where did he recognise that voice? Who was in the darkness fighting for their life? Cloud moved forward, first tsuragi ready for battle by his side, trailing through the thick ash. When the stranger was thrown through the air towards him, Cloud rolled to the side, sword slashing forward to confront the man who had landed on his feet just barely.

His eyes widened in complete disbelief.

"Cloud…?" the raven head twisted his own weapon, the buster sword, to the side, so as not to collide with Cloud's first tsuragi, "what…? How… how can you be here?"

The colour had completely drained from Cloud's features. He backed away instinctively, his entire body demanding he flee from the strange apparition before him, yet Zack Fair's own confusion to the blonde being in the lifestream held him steady. Zack took the same appearance as he had when Cloud had left his side all those years ago; his black spiked hair no longer slicked back in an attempt to mimic his mentor, but left wild to demonstrate his independence and freedom from ShinRa. He still wore the trademark uniform of the first class SOLDIER, yet it bore dozens of bullet holes from where he had been shot down like a rabid dog, simply for the price of freedom. The scar on his cheek appeared as fresh as it had been when he had first received it, although Cloud had not been there himself - the mixture of memories which had allowed him to escape his comatose state now flooded his mind, reminding him of the shame and dishonour he had brought. He had thought he was this man, after promising he would live for him, not as him. Cloud found he could not even keep eye contact with Zack, turning his head away from him to stare at first tsuragi in his grip.

In the reflection of the weapon, Cloud watched as Zack's own reactions resembled his own - confusion, disbelief, dejection. The Gongagan SOLDIER reached out to him, then abruptly pulled away at the sound of the lifestream screaming once more, pulling the buster sword into position to battle.

"Cloud… I… look, now is not the time," Zack shook his head, "ugh! What I mean is, we can talk later! Right now…" suddenly his famous grin erupted across his features, a thumb gestured upward with his free hand, "we've got to fight the darkness! For the lifestream!"

Still frowning, the blonde turned back to his old friend. The shock he was enduring was apparent, his entire body feeling as light as a chocobo feather. Zack softened his grin into a welcoming smile, gesturing for his friend to join him by his side. Yet Cloud's feet held steady. Even if he tried to move forward, his legs would not allow him. He couldn't. He just could not. He would never… ever be worthy enough to fight by Zack's side.

The raven head sensed his apprehension and sighed, yet continued to smirk, turning to face the darkness again.

"Alright then, even if you wont fight," a puff of air escaped his nostrils, the ex SOLDIER shifting into battle position, "knowing you're here by my side is enough!" with a large bellow, he rushed forward, slashing his blade down onto the darkness. Jenova's taint seemed to shift away from the strike, surrounding Zack in one quick movement before shifting into long, sharpened structures. Zack swung the buster sword with ease through a pair of dark creatures, cutting right through them and spraying ash through the air. He dodged an attack to the side and leapt back, twisting round and striking through an enemy. Yet it seemed with every enemy he took out, the darkness simply formed into more, swarming him from every angle and flanking his every movement, allowing him no escape.

Cloud stood motionless, his entire body numb. He had thought he were dead, finally at peace, allowed to rest for the first time in so many years. But now… he had to continue fighting. The idea of going through another twenty years of torture again… he couldn't take it. The last thing he could remember was holding onto Tifa's limp, broken body in his arms, Jenova's infected rushing onto him, teeth and claws tearing into his flesh. He had ignored the psychical pain, letting the tears fall from his shattered resolve at the sight of his last remaining friend now dead in his arms. And now, here he was, with Zack Fair - the man who had once been his mentor, his closest friend, and the only one he had ever truly loved with every fibre of his being - standing before him, sword in hand, fighting against the infected lifestream itself despite the impossible odds. Cloud had either finally lost his sanity, or was truly dead - and this was now his eternal battleground.

Zack glanced back at his friend with mako infused eyes, which still brimmed with the need to fight as though he were alive, seeming unaware of Cloud's inner conflict. When he turned back, he was set upon by a group of the infected, throwing him to the ground, buster sword dropping from his grip and sliding away from reach. He kicked into the stomach of one infected, shoving it off, while holding one from tearing into his face with an arm, struggling to survive. Saliva poured onto his face, streaming from needle like teeth, claws scratching into the ground by his arms before tearing through flesh.

"Cloud! I need you!"

Something inside Cloud snapped.

The darkness dispersed in a blizzard of ash as first tsuragi swept through them in a single clean stroke, throwing the infected off of Zack. Zack grinned and rolled out of the way of another infected, grabbing the buster sword and slashing upward, striking an infected down from behind. Cloud landed with perfect ease and rushed forward, the need to protect his raven haired friend five times more powerful than his own self interests. First tsuragi tore through enemy one by one, the darkness attempting to flee from the sudden new opponent on the battlefield. Zack landed behind him, their backs colliding as the darkness began to swarm once more, forming into larger creatures to attempt to force the two back into a corner. Cloud felt Zack's long hair against his back, his entire body trembling with excitement and disbelief. Here he was, fighting by his closest friend's side. The one fight he had ever wanted, a fight where he was helping Zack, where he was useful. It no longer mattered whether he was dead or alive. All that mattered was protecting Zack where he had once failed.

Grin plastered across his lips, Zack charged forward once more, leaping up and striking down into the skull of an infected monstrosity, yet the blade did not seem to cut entirely through, embedding in the darkness. Zack hung on as the creature rushed forward, throwing itself from side to side frantically to rip the human from its body. Zack pulled the buster sword out enough that he could leap back, weapon in tow, landed unsteadily before being chased down by the same monster. He twisted to the side, avoiding a deadly hit from the shadows, then struck down with his weapon, cutting clean through a limb. Ash poured from the wound, the dislocated body part bursting into shadows and disappearing into the lifestream below. Screams echoed from the lifestream as the infection spread through it, the green now completely vanishing from the sight of the two survivors. Cloud fought two monsters at once, swinging his blade down through the neck of one before dislocating his fusion blades and using a weapon in each hand, to tear through the next infection beast. But with every infected they slew, they simply grew from the darkness faster, pouring out in pairs at first, then threes, then dozens until every angle the two men turned to was alive with the infected. Needle teeth, bulging green eyes, silvery skin, snarls echoing from parted jaws - every soul within the lifestream soon became one of these monstrous, inhuman beasts. They were endless.

Stabbing his blade down into the chest of one infected, Cloud held it in place, panting loudly as the green aura began to build around his body. Zack landed near him, covered in the thick black liquid of infected blood. He turned to his younger friend, noticing the change in appearance. Cloud turned his gaze to the raven head, the two pairs of blue eyes locking on, both understanding that they could not win this battle. Grinding his teeth down, Cloud however turned and continued the assault, first tsuragi lodging between two infected, then three, until the weapon soon became a shield, holding the creatures back. His boots slid across the liquid lifestream, jaws snapping at the ends of his hair.

"Cloud… we can't win this…"

Trying to glance back at his friend but finding himself unable, Cloud snarled, using the last of his strength to throw the infected back into the swarm. He backed away slowly, stopping a few feet from Zack, who was now staring back up at the skies, seemingly lost in thought.

"What do you mean? We have no choice! If we don't fight… everything we've ever fought for…" Cloud shook his head, "we can't give in! we have to fight! There's no other way!"

Zack turned his gaze towards the last of the green ebbing away in the lifestream above, the pitching screams and grotesque snarls drowning out. He could see endless smile, her deep emerald stare cast upon an endless, ancient beauty, taking form in the green. Her laugh slowly fading, until he could hear her no longer. As she vanished, a soft smile crept over his lips.

"There's always another way."


End file.
